Like you know we added a new category, 6H class, for the IARU VHF contests. The contest robot is ready for this and we tested it during the July contest, in cooperation with the S5 contest robot.

We did find a little problem:

Some contesters who are contesting in the 6h class, are competing more than 6H but only send the logs with only the 6h. This is confusing for the robots, because the QSO’s out of the 6h are rejected for the stations who are working 24 hours.

So please inform you members that they should be sending the complete log. We will correct this during the upcoming meetings.

Please inform you members who want to compete in the upcoming contests:

"Every participant that is planning to enter the 6H category MUST send his complete LOG even if he operated longer than 6 hours. Only first 6 active hours will be used for score evaluation, while the rest of the log (if at all) will be used for cross-check purposes".

73 and good luck
ON4AVJ
Chairman IARU-R1 C5 committee

New 70 cm beacon in GB

13-08-2015

Submitted by: ON4AVJ

One of our new 70cm beacons is now on air - GB3LEU on 432.490.

One of its beams is South East (135 degrees) and should give you some reports in Belgium and Netherlands in good conditions.

Thanks to the hospitality of the DARC we will be able to have an informal C5 meeting. Not only for the VHF managers but all HAM’s who are interested in the work of IARU-R1 VHF & up matters.

After a small introduction about the way of working of C5 we will have an open discussion. This could be useful to prepare for the Vienna interim meeting in 2016.

This meeting will take place on Saturday June 27th from 15.00 until 16.30 in Room A (5th floor) in the administrative building. You have to leave the exhibition(don’t forget to get your stamp) and walk to the administrative building.

We would appreciate that you inform your members about this meeting and are looking forward to seeing you there.

Best 73
Jacques ON4AVJ
Chairman C5

70 MHz in Malta

18-02-2015

Submitted by: ON4AVJ

The 70,0 MHz - 70,5 MHz band has been allocated to Amateur Radio use on secondary basis and included in the National Frequency Plan as published by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) on 13 Feb 2015.
There are quite a few local stations interested in being active on 4 m.

Activation of 3A

02-08-2014

Submitted by: ON4AVJ

From August 11 to August 13 3A/ON7EQ will be active from 3A in JN33 square.

Activation on MS 70 Mhz (and possibly 50 MHz if there is interest) next Perseid shower, August 12th & 13th, is hereby confirmed.

Hans ON5AEN, who has MS experience on 2m, will join to operate the station. More info - like frequencies, sequences etc… - will be released later via ON4KST chat.

Meanwhile, already prepared some theoretical range prediction. As you are probably aware, Monaco is only 3 kms long and 300m wide, with mountains towards the north and west… not the best place for a low take-off angle! According to our spot where we have chosen to set up the station and the theoretical models, we expect a range like depicted on the map - as you can see ON will be ideally within reach!

UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom has announced that it’s ending Amateur Radio access to significant portions of the 2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands.

The action, announced on April 7, came in the wake of a year-long “consultation” — a rule making proceeding — that involved the release by the Ministry of Defence of 40 MHz of spectrum at 2.3 GHz and 150 MHz of spectrum at 3.4 GHz. Amateur Radio is secondary on the bands.

Amateur Radio will lose privileges on frequencies in the two bands that overlap with spectrum that Ofcom plans to award for “new civil uses” — 2350 to 2390 MHz and 3410 to 3475 MHz. The announcement gives radio amateurs at least 12 months’ notice, but radio amateurs must comply immediately with procedures to avoid interfering with other users; ham radio occupants of 2310 to 2350 MHz will have to register their use and provide details to Ofcom.

Amateur Radio will retain access to the adjacent bands, but Ofcom has put procedures in place to remove even those frequencies from Amateur Radio access, if necessary in the future. Ofcom said earlier this year that with military and other government use of the 2.3 and 3.4 GHz spectrum ending, “we believe an award of the spectrum for high power use is likely to deliver greater benefit to UK consumers and citizens than continued amateur use.” Ofcom was required by the Ministry of Defence to adequately protect its systems from Amateur Radio interference in both the released spectrum and in adjacent bands.

“The MoD’s plans are part of a government commitment to release 500 MHz of spectrum by 2020,” Ofcom explained in its order. “This commitment to opening up spectrum for new civil uses is based on growing demand from UK consumers for spectrum-hungry devices such as smartphones and tablets.” Ofcom said that use of mobile data devices more than doubled in the 18 months leading up to January 2012. “Indeed, the 2.3 and 3.4 GHz bands are identified in Ofcom’s ‘mobile data strategy’ as having the potential to support even better mobile data services for citizens and consumers in the coming years,” the regulator said.

Ofcom said it was making 2300 to 2302 MHz available for amateur use, but licensees first must obtain a Notice of Variation to their licenses. Hams in the US have secondary access to 2300 to 2310 MHz, 2390 to 2450 MHz, and 3300 to 3500 MHz. — Thanks to RSGB, Ofcom

ARISS: Ham Video Commissioning – final

15-04-2014

Submitted by: ON4AVJ

The final Ham Video Commissioning Pass 4 is planned Sunday April 13 at 18.23 UTC.

Configuration 4 will be used:

ARISS antenna 43

Frequency 2395 MHz

Symbol rate 2.0 MS/s

Koichi Wakata will operate OR4ISS.
Ground stations F6DZP and IK1SLD will receive the signals and stream the video over the BATC server.
The video is expected to be received during 5 minutes.

This will mark the end of the Blank Transmissions.

We thank the operators who filed reception reports of blank transmissions. Your participation to the Ham Video testing campaign has been invaluable.

No decision has been taken yet on the future use of Ham Video. We will keep you informed on any progress.

73,

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
ARISS Europe chairman

ARISS: video blank transmissions

11-04-2014

Submitted by: ON4AVJ

Presently, Ham Video is transmitting permanently a “blank” image and no audio in configuration 5: